Crimson Evanescence
by Uchiha Ryken
Summary: At the end of a lethal clash between two brothers, only one is left standing. But his time is running short. A brief reflection reveals to him what he should have known all along. [SasuSaku]
1. Chapter 1

It's been so long since I wrote an update! Ugh, I never thought I'd be working so much and have so many other obligations. But this story is a short one that I've had in the rough drafts for like a year, and I finally hammered out the details. I realize that this fic doesn't quite work with the current manga, but for this one to work, you have to go under the assumption that Itachi was an evil bastard. XD

I had always been one that thought Itachi was a good guy with a deeper meaning behind the massacre, but I thought it would be fun to write him, just once, as evil as he appeared. And it was!

This story is called Crimson Evanescence. Crimson: the color of both blood, and the Sharingan, and Evanescence: the passing out of sight, memory, or existence. You may not understand the significance of these things now, but trust me, you will soon enough.

All characters, techniques, and terms belong to Masashi Kishimoto, creator of the Naruto Universe. The only rights I claim to this story are for the plot. Do not distribute this fic without my permission and proper credit.

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**Chapter 1  
**

Dark clouds blanketed the sky, eclipsing the evening sun and battering the mountainside with a cold rain. The night air was biting, and the panting breaths of two brothers clouded in front of their bloodied mouths as they spoke their final words.

"Foolish brother…"

The forbidding voice was shaking, as though the speaker had been pushed far beyond his limit. His blood pooled on the ground beside his fallen opponent, and became diluted by the crashing water.

He wondered how he had come to this moment. Looking down on his challenger, he couldn't even recall how he had ended up in this place or what their battle had been like. His black hair fell over his eyes, obscuring his vision of the brother that had almost defeated him.

"It's over," the Uchiha continued, barely audible over the pounding rain.

The second shinobi only stared back as the blood dripped down his chin. He coughed suddenly, sending crimson droplets flying to clear his throat, and a soft, choking voice broke through.

"I lost…" he whispered. He sounded surprised, as though he had anticipated this moment his entire life, and expected to be on the other side. "… but you didn't win either. The Uchiha name ends here with us."

"No," came the strained reply. "Just _your _name."

"Don't kid yourself…" his Sharingan reverted, and his eyes sharpened. "Sasuke."

Sasuke's body instantly exploded in pain, and blood came spewing from his mouth. He fell to his knees in agony, clutching his abdomen, eyes wide with horror. His mouth was agape, muttering half-completed questions in shock. A bolt of lightning split the night sky, drowning them out completely.

"You've surpassed me, Sasuke," Itachi continued beside his brother. "But consider the cost. You relied on that cursed seal far too much. Your body is rejecting the foreign chakra, deteriorating from the inside out. The damage that I inflicted only hastened the process."

Sasuke glared at his fallen brother with rage, gritting his teeth in fury, and in an effort fight back the stream of blood and bile that threatened to leave his mouth.

"Consider your current torment as punishment for insulting your birthright by saturating yourself with that decrepit fool's power."

Sasuke lowered his head in defeat. Itachi was right; he had brought this end upon himself.

"Farewell, Sasuke," Itachi smirked. "I hope it was worth it."

His eyes closed for the final time, leaving his younger brother to die alone with his anger and anguish.

Sasuke could only stare in disbelief. The thing he wanted most in life was completed, but it cost him the rest of his existence. His hatred swelled up inside him; hatred for Itachi and his betrayal, hatred for Madara and the legend of the Mangekyou that started it all, and hatred for himself, for his helplessness on the night of the massacre and his present situation.

He clenched his teeth and slammed his fists into the mud, shouting above the booming thunder.

"DAMN YOU!!"

There was no answer but the falling rain. There was no one around for miles.

_I refuse to die here! _

Sasuke willed his battered flesh to stand abruptly, and immediately reeled backward, falling back several steps against a tree. His body screamed in protest at every movement.

He grit his teeth against the pain as he stumbled from one charred tree to the next. The brothers' clash had destroyed the surrounding land beyond recognition. The blackened remains of what once was a forest were being washed away down the mountainous slope by the downpour, making each treacherous step its own battle.

As Sasuke leaned against the next tree for support, he examined his arm with the Sharingan. With its power, he could see the flow of chakra. The cursed seal's purple chakra was dissolving his flesh and bone within his skin. Every one of his tenketsu leaked the corrosive energy.

It hurt to breathe. It hurt to blink. The pain was more excruciating than anything he had ever felt, than anything he could have possibly imagined. His legs couldn't hold him, and he slid down to the ground, his back tearing against the tree bark. He hissed in pain as the blood seeped from at least a dozen slits.

_... this really is the end, isn't it? _He thought vacantly. _Damn…_

He cursed himself for using that power for so long. Even after reproaching Orochimaru for gaining power through medicines and experiments, Sasuke hadn't banished the corrupt power obtained through those same methods.

_Was there any other way? _Sasuke wondered hazily as he stared up into the dark clouds. The storm concealed that which he wanted to see, the stars that he used to stare into as a genin.

His thoughts drifted back to Konoha. Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura… was he meant to stay with them? If he had, would things be different now? Would he have killed Itachi?

"I'm sorry," he choked out. Tears began to fall down his cheek, joining the streams of rain that already dripped from his soaked bangs. "I'm so sorry…"

He was cold. The rain felt like ice against his body, seeping through his skin to sap the warmth from his bones.

They couldn't hear him. He was alone. And he was terrified. Death's cold grip was upon him, and he would die alone.

_Kakashi… I'm sorry I didn't listen. I'm sorry I turned my back on you when you tried to help me. In a way… you were like a second father._

A stabbing pain gripped at his heart. He clenched his teeth and clawed desperately at his chest, begging the pain to pass.

_Naruto… you were the only true friend I ever had. I'm sorry… for everything. I don't deserve your friendship. I don't deserve everything you did to bring me back… all of your sacrifices for my sake. In a way… you were like a brother._

He coughed softly, and crimson flecks peppered the ground. A trickle of blood crept from the corner of his lips, and was immediately washed away by the downpour. His heartbeat was slowing.

_Sakura…_

His vision began to blur, and he realized that it wasn't the tears that obscured his vision. He was dying.

_I'm sorry for everything I said to you, everything I did to push you away. You always gave me hope… hope that one day I would be able to heal this blackened heart. I'll never be able to tell you…_

_I…_

Darkness crept across his vision. He desperately tried to fight it off. He would never be able to tell her… she would never… know…

_Sasuke-kun!_

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Thanks for reading Chapter One! Chapter Two should be along shortly. I haven't written it all out yet, but I've got a vacation coming up and I plan on doing a lot of writing, working on all sorts of fics from The Eyes... to some shorter fics like this one that have been on the drawing board for a long, long time. Thanks again for reading, and if you feel inclined to do so, please leave a review! I respond to every review I recieve, and I would love to hear from you, whether you liked it or whether you think you have some ideas that would make it or my writing overall, better. If you see anything out of place, please let me know, either by private message or in your review!

-Ryken


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, it's been a long time since I've uploaded! But I'm happy to say that I finally got this fic done! For all who are interested, I'll be starting work on The Eyes That See All, Except What Lies Within again now that this side project is finished. Thank you for all the support, I hope you enjoy the rest of Crimson Evanescence!

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**Chapter 2**

"Sasuke-kun!"

He jolted alert, as though he had been on the verge of falling asleep, only to be awakened suddenly. All he could see around him were sheets of rain pouring against the blackened landscape. His eyes began to close again, but he fought off the darkness as best he could, looking around hazily for whoever had called out.

He strained to listen, but the only sounds he heard were the falling rain and crashing thunder. With consciousness returning, so had his pain, and he was eager to let the darkness take it away. He was tired of fighting this losing battle, this blackness…

"Sasuke-kun!" The voice was louder this time.

_They're looking for me…_ he realized.

He couldn't see anything but gray blurs. The wind tore through the air, whipping his raven hair across his face and adding to his blindness.

A bolt of lighting suddenly split the dark sky, illuminating the area.

And he saw her. Her emerald eyes were frantic, and her normally soft features were creased with anxiety. Her once bright pink hair was darker, completely drenched, and hanging down over her face.

"Sasuke-kun!" She screamed upon spotting his battered body with the flash. She raced towards him, and placed a hand on her collar to turn her radio on. "Naruto! Kakashi-sensei! I found him! He's three miles north of our rendezvous point!"

_What are you doing here? _He thought to himself. _After everything I've done…?_

She rushed to his side and knelt in the freezing mud, ripping the soaked gloves from her hands and placing two slender fingers on his neck to search for a pulse.

They were like ice against his burning skin, and he hissed in response to her touch. Sakura immediately recoiled in surprise.

"Sasuke-kun!" She exclaimed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank God you're alive!"

He could scarcely hear her over the rain. It seemed to echo endlessly in his ears, drowning out all his other senses. The only other feeling he retained was the agony, the destruction of his flesh, the boiling blood that burned his skin as it flowed through his veins. He tried to say something to her, but his throat felt swollen shut. It felt as though everything he had was invested in just drawing his next breath. His eyelids were heavy.

Sakura could see him struggling and regained her composure quickly, recalling her training.

"Just hang on, Sasuke-kun," she said, placing both hands over his chest to begin healing him. Just that small pressure made him feel as though his lungs were being compacted. As she began her healing, a pale green glow enveloped him, reflecting endlessly in the many drops falling around him.

"S… Sakura… " he rasped.

"It's okay Sasuke-kun, I'm here," Sakura smiled, though he could see tears glistening in her emerald orbs. "Don't say anything."

His pain hadn't subsided, but he at last felt some hope.

"There's so much damage…" she whispered, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. This is going to hurt."

Her chakra surged into him with more force. The green light intensified, and he could feel his broken body creaking in protest as it put itself back together. Sasuke cursed as his wounds seared shut and his shattered bones snapped back together, each passing second intensifying the suffering. Each moment felt like hours, and he grit his teeth together so hard he thought they might break. The simultaneous processes of regeneration and decomposition were tearing him apart as the cursed chakra clashed with Sakura's own serene glow.

He could feel his tortured growls resonating throughout his body rather than hear them pass his lips.

"Please, hold on, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura urged.

For what seemed like an eternity, she poured more and more chakra into his body, and it continued to repair the damage that the cursed seal inflicted just as persistently. His broken form convulsed, clenching and releasing every muscle as it coped with the strain on mind and body.

_I'm going to die, _he thought in between snarls of pain. _She's here beside me now and I'll never be able to tell her…_

"I can't heal it all here…"

_No… _He thought in despair. _This can't be it… I have to tell her…_

She removed one hand and pressed the button for her radio.

"Kakashi-sensei! Send Pakkun back to Konoha; tell Tsunade-sama to send a medical squad skilled in sealing jutsu right away! Tell them to meet us on the way back to the village!"

A stabbing pain erupted through his chest, and a sudden cough sent another spurt of blood into the cold rain.

"Damn it!" Sakura cursed, pushing her hands harder against his chest and sending a massive wave of healing chakra through his system all at once. The luminous green chakra shined even brighter, sealing whatever had caused his bleeding and even pushing back some of the demonic chakra of the cursed seal. Sasuke braced himself against the internal war once again, groaning in misery.

"Sasuke-kun, stay with me!" She begged.

After a few seconds the glare was reduced to a pale teal glow, and Sasuke lay still, panting for air through his grit teeth.

But he could feel again. The gentle sprinkle of the passing rain felt cool against his face, and he felt that he could finally speak.

"Sakura…" he rasped.

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun," she said comfortingly. "I'm here."

Her gentle smile brought another stabbing pain, different from the first, but no less painful. That sad smile was the same one that she had always given him after he turned her down all those countless times as children.

_How could I have been so foolish? _He lamented. _That I didn't understand how important she was until it was too late?_

A thin ray of sunshine fought its way through the cloudy sky, and the rain that had once drowned out all other sound slowly reduced to just a few drops that fell from nearby trees. As the light enveloped them and the rain ceased, Sakura smiled again, brighter this time.

"The storm has passed," she beamed. "Just a few minutes and you should be ready to come home."

He tried to return her smile despite his condition.

"Sakura," he started. "Why did you come for me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She answered. "We're a team, Sasuke-kun. We always will be."

"It can't be… that simple," he smirked through his panting breaths. "You have every right to hate me."

"Sasuke-kun, don't push yourself," she said worriedly, noticing his irregular breathing. "We can talk when you're back home."

He closed his eyes and nodded his acceptance, but he still wasn't satisfied with her answer. His pain was moving in waves, despite Sakura's best effort to calm them. It lulled and swelled in irregular intervals. He still felt like a weight was on his chest, though he couldn't tell if it was because of the cursed seal or because he was finally acknowledging his mistakes.

Sakura sat next to him in silence for some time, continuously sending her serene chakra to calm the chaos in his body. It hardly kept the pain at bay, and could do nothing for the chaos in his mind.

"I did hate you."

"Hn?" He opened one eye curiously.

"I… I hated you for leaving," she said softly. "I hated you for leaving me behind… for treating me like a little girl when I was willing to give up everything to be with you."

He cursed himself once again for the path he had chosen. Everything he had done had been exactly as Itachi planned. His hatred boiled beneath the surface for years, and when he had finally had a chance for healing… for redemption in Team Seven, he cast them aside for revenge. She had offered him everything, and he had turned her away.

"Why did you come after me?" He asked again. "After everything I've done to hurt you?"

She turned away from him, saying nothing at first After a pause, he heard her quiet response, "Why do you need to ask? I told you years ago."

He thought back to the night he left, when she had called to him over the cold evening wind. She had told him she loved him. He had shrugged it off as a crush from a young girl. Yet how could it be anything else after enduring everything she had been through?

He reached up with a hand, covering her own.

"Do you still feel that way?"

She turned her head, and he saw a tear glistening beneath her eye. "Yes."

He wanted to say something to comfort her, but he couldn't find the words. Even after she had left herself completely open to him, his pride kept him from offering even a single word of solace. A dull pain throbbed in his chest.

"Sakura…" he tried. "I-"

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun," she interrupted. "Please, just rest. Tsunade's team will be here soon."

The strain on his chest intensified. His breaths were becoming more ragged.

"No," he said softly. "You deserve to hear it. I'm sorry… for everything…"

Her features creased in worry, noticing the change in his strength. "Please, Sasuke-kun, don't strain yourself. This can all wait."

_No, _he thought. _It can't wait any longer. It's been too long already._

"I'm afraid I don't have that much time, Sakura," he replied softly.

"Don't say that!" She quipped. "As soon as Tsunade's team arrives, you'll be just fine."

"They won't make it in time," he grimaced. His pain was returning rapidly, despite Sakura's efforts to quell it. "Even if they had been here from the beginning… it was already too late."

"Stop it, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried.

"The cursed seal… they told me… it would consume me…" Sasuke panted, reminded of the fate that the Sound Four had described the night Sasuke left Konoha. "Itachi was right…"

"Don't say that, Sasuke-kun!"

"Tell Kakashi and Naruto… I'm sorry."

"You can tell them yourself," she replied, allowing no room for compromise.

"Heh," he smiled sadly, then gave a rasping cough. "Come on, Sakura. You're a medic-nin. You know I won't last that long."

"Yes you will!" Tears began welling in her eyes. "You have to…"

A gentle rain began to fall once again. Sakura's panicked orbs searched the sky as though it were an omen.

"The eye of the storm," Sasuke said quietly. He wasn't one to believe in such things, but the darkening clouds paralleled his own thoughts. "It hadn't passed. The light was only temporary."

"Don't talk like that," Sakura cried, tears freely falling down her cheeks to mingle with the cold rain. "Please, Sasuke-kun."

"How long will you keep calling me that?" He chided, smirking. "Haven't we known each other too long for that?"

"Sasuke, I can heal you!"

"Tell Kakashi…" he grimaced in pain. "I'm sorry I turned my back on him when he tried to help me."

She nodded tearfully.

"And tell Naruto… that he was the only true friend I'd ever had. I don't deserve his friendship, or the sacrifices he made to try to bring me home. I thought of him as a brother."

Again, she nodded.

"Sakura…"

"Sasuke," she sniffed. "Please don't give up. Don't leave me again."

"I'm so sorry, Sakura," he said. A single tear welled in his eye, the only visible sign that Uchiha Sasuke had felt anything in years. "I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you. I'm sorry for pushing you away when you were the only person to show me love since my parents…"

He swallowed hard, clenching his eyes shut for a moment. He wished he could tear his heart out, it was causing him so much pain; being caught between his affection for Sakura and the physical torment that he once again was beginning to experience.

_What a coward I am at the end, _Sasuke smiled inwardly. _When I have nothing left to lose?_

"Sasuke… " she prodded hesitantly.

"I… I love you, Sakura." He said, moving his hand to her cheek and brushing her tears away with his thumb.

She only cried harder, pushing past his hand to hide her face against her hands, still desperately healing him.

"I love you too, Sasuke," she whispered. "I've loved you since the first day I saw you, and I knew that I would as long as I lived. That's why… that's why you can't leave me now!"

A bolt of lightning split the sky, and the rain started pouring down.

"Stop healing me, Sakura," he said softly, stroking her soft pink locks. "If the other Akatsuki find me, you'll need your chakra."

"I can't give up on you, Sasuke," She cried, raising her head to face him again.

He smiled sadly once more.

"You can't save me Sakura. I'm going go die here. This is my price for my deal with the devil."

"What Orochimaru did to you wasn't your fault!" She cried, trying to defend him. "After what Itachi did, how could you do anything else?"

"Not that deal," Sasuke said. His world was becoming darker once again. He knew he wouldn't be waking from it this time. "The Sharingan itself is a cursed power. My fate was sealed the day I was born an Uchiha."

His eyes began to close.

"SASUKE!" Sakura cried over the crashing rain.

His eyes opened. He looked tired… years older than he actually was.

"I don't want to be alone," Sakura whispered. Sasuke could feel every tear that fell from her cheek, even amidst the falling rain. "Remember? You taught me how painful it is to be alone. Without you… it will be just like being alone."

_I'm out of time… _Sasuke realized as his world grew dim. With the last of his strength, he reached out and pulled her down to him, sliding his wet lips softly against her own.

"Sakura…" he murmured, "Thank you."

His hand slid from her head to the ground beside her.

For a few moments, she could only stare at what had almost been hers to hold, to love, to cherish. He had been stolen from her only moments after uttering the words that she had dreamt to hear her entire life.

Only seconds later, a piercing wail split the crash of the rain and boom of thunder as Sakura collapsed, burying her face against the shoulder of her lost love. Her shoulders racked with her sobs as she wrapped her arms around his neck, bidding him a final farewell.

After what could have been seconds or years, she could feel that she was no longer isolated, sensing the presence of her friend and teacher behind her.

Yet she had never felt more alone in her life.

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Thank you all for reading this story! I know it's not the happy ending many of you may have wanted, but I'll be doing plenty of those in the future. I just had to do something different this once. It's still not completely how I had hoped it would turn out, maybe I'm just not a depressed enough person, ha. But I tried my best to write it in a way that would be romantic and heartbreaking, and I hope it wasn't too jarring at any one point.... ugh I'm bad at this, ha.

I just want to say thank again for everyone who has read this story. If you found any mistakes, please don't hesitate to tell me! If you liked it, you can tell me that too! I love to read reviews and I personally respond to each and every one I get! If you want to read a happier SasuSaku, I have a couple other fics about the couple, two shorter stories and one long ongoing fic. Or if you like NejiTen or NaruHina, I have a story for each of them as well! Anyway, I'm starting to ramble, so thank you very much for reading!


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